Press "Enter" to skip to content

Band member brings the spirit

Sophomore Cameron Niesman was named most spirited student. Photo by Jade Sewell.

In the excitement of intramural sports and through the roar of every basketball band chant, there is one student who is always at the heart of it all: Cameron Niesman.

Niesman, a sophomore accounting major was awarded “Most Spirited Student” at the Bradley vs Illinois State University game on Feb. 22.

In order to be a contestant for this award, students needed a peer nomination.

“I was really surprised when I got nominated,” Niesman said. “It was definitely an honor.”

From there, he was picked to be one of two finalists for the award. The day before the game, the Bradley women’s basketball team tweeted out a video from each finalist, and every retweet counted as a vote. In addition to the Twitter voting, there was in-person voting at the basketball game to determine the winner.

Niesman’s success can be chalked up to a variety of reasons, including his involvement in extracurriculars and his love for Bradley.

“I officiate intramurals and I’m in almost every single intramural. If there’s a sport I’m not in, it’s probably because I couldn’t find a team,” Niesman said.

Besides his love for sports, Cameron is an active member of the Bradley Basketball Band, where he plays trumpet.

“No matter what is happening in the game, Cameron is always cheering Bradley on, and he is always cheering the loudest of anyone,” friend and fellow band member Kyle Janssen said. “He also initiates and starts cheers during the games. Cameron really enjoys Bradley games and supporting the team, whether we’re winning or losing.”

In fact, Niesman loves Bradley Basketball so much, that he’s only missed two women’s home games the entire season. In both instances he was in class, where he managed to catch glimpses of the game via online streaming.

“I live for sports. I’m always finding a way to yell and cheer for sports. You don’t get most spirited by just standing around; you’re always pushing other people to cheer on,” Niesman said.

While Niesman received a book bag full of T-shirts and Bradley merchandise for winning, he said the real reward is being recognized as the first recipient for Bradley’s “Most Spirited Student” and the support he received from his band family.

“I don’t think I could have done it without my friends or the band friends I made at conference last year. Their support was huge,” Niesman said.

Copyright © 2023, The Scout, Bradley University. All rights reserved.
The Scout is published by members of the student body of Bradley University. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the University.